Benny Sela
Encyclopedia
Benny Sela is an Israel
i serial rapist.
Sela grew up in the Hatikva Quarter
of Tel Aviv
, and as a young boy, witnessed his alcoholic
father commit suicide
. He subsequently entered foster care
. His case later entered the textbook of Israeli social work education as an example of severe failures in his foster care
as a teenager.
According to police, Sela committed at least 24 and possibly as many as 34 rapes, sexual assault
s, and sexual molestation
s of women and girls over the course of five years. Arrested in 1999, he was convicted in 2000 of 14 counts of rape
, and sentenced to 35 years imprisonment on a plea bargain
. He is currently serving his sentence at Nitzan Prison.
On November 24, 2006, Sela escaped from police custody while being transferred to a court hearing. Shortly after his escape, hundreds of police officers began a search throughout Tel Aviv
, with cruisers, mounted police, and a helicopter searching for Sela. Police also set up roadblocks in the city. The search became focused on southern Tel Aviv after a resident reported that he had visited his mother there. A nationwide manhunt
involving thousands of police officers was launched. Two weeks into his escape, sightings of Sela were reported in the northern coastal city of Nahariya
, and a relative told tipped off police that Sela had visited him and told him he was heading north, and gave police details about the car Sela was driving. Large numbers of police officers were then deployed to Nahariya. On December 8, 2006, Sela was arrested at a police checkpoint near the kibbutz
of Lohamei HaGeta'ot. Sela resisted arrest and tried to run, but was chased down and handcuffed. Sela identified himself as an Arab, but an identity check at the Nahariya police station confirmed Sela's identity. On the same day that the arrest occurred, police investigated reports from citizens claiming to have spotted Sela in Tiberias, and a police helicopter and several cruisers were called to Ness Ziona
after a citizen reported seeing a man similar to Sela.
In 2010, Sela exposed himself to a female guard during his daily walk in the prison yard, and was placed in solitary confinement
.
In May 2011, Sela's mother Rivka attempted to smuggle him porn
. During a hearing at the Petah Tikva
Magistrate's Court, Rivka Sela was granted permission by the judge to give Benny a file she said contained court documents. However, prison guards closely scrutinized the file, and noticed a cardboard filler to which aluminum foil was taped. Upon unwrapping the foil, they discovered CDs, which when played, were found to contain pornographic material.
While imprisoned, Sela filed dozens of court motions every year, most of which focused on inconsequential issues and were rejected. Due to his persistent motions, became known as a "serial appelant". The repeated motions put a burden on the authorities, as the Israel Prison Service
was tasked with bringing him to each hearing and returning him to prison, a process that necessitated the presence of police and massive security due to Sela being considered a high escape risk. On 14 August 2011, the Beersheba
District Court limited Sela to eight motions per year and imposed a NIS 70 fine on him for every motion rejected. Judge Shlomo Friedlander said that the decision was to prevent authorites from spending an unequal share of their resources on his appeals, which could deny other prisoners their rights.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i serial rapist.
Sela grew up in the Hatikva Quarter
Hatikva Quarter
The Hatikva Quarter is a neighbourhood in south-eastern Tel Aviv, Israel, long known as a working class area. It was founded in 1930 and was merged into Tel Aviv following the 1948 Arab–Israeli War....
of Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, and as a young boy, witnessed his alcoholic
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
father commit suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. He subsequently entered foster care
Foster care
Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
. His case later entered the textbook of Israeli social work education as an example of severe failures in his foster care
Foster care
Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
as a teenager.
According to police, Sela committed at least 24 and possibly as many as 34 rapes, sexual assault
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....
s, and sexual molestation
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
s of women and girls over the course of five years. Arrested in 1999, he was convicted in 2000 of 14 counts of rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
, and sentenced to 35 years imprisonment on a plea bargain
Plea bargain
A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...
. He is currently serving his sentence at Nitzan Prison.
On November 24, 2006, Sela escaped from police custody while being transferred to a court hearing. Shortly after his escape, hundreds of police officers began a search throughout Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, with cruisers, mounted police, and a helicopter searching for Sela. Police also set up roadblocks in the city. The search became focused on southern Tel Aviv after a resident reported that he had visited his mother there. A nationwide manhunt
Manhunt
Manhunt may refer to:In film:* Bloodfist VII: Manhunt, a 1995 action/adventure film starring Don Wilson* Man Hunt , a 1941 film directed by Fritz Lang* Man Hunt , a 1985 Western film directed by Fabrizio De Angelis...
involving thousands of police officers was launched. Two weeks into his escape, sightings of Sela were reported in the northern coastal city of Nahariya
Nahariya
Nahariya is the northernmost coastal city in Israel, with an estimated population of 51,200.-History:Nahariya was founded by German Jewish immigrants from the Fifth Aliyah in the 1930s...
, and a relative told tipped off police that Sela had visited him and told him he was heading north, and gave police details about the car Sela was driving. Large numbers of police officers were then deployed to Nahariya. On December 8, 2006, Sela was arrested at a police checkpoint near the kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
of Lohamei HaGeta'ot. Sela resisted arrest and tried to run, but was chased down and handcuffed. Sela identified himself as an Arab, but an identity check at the Nahariya police station confirmed Sela's identity. On the same day that the arrest occurred, police investigated reports from citizens claiming to have spotted Sela in Tiberias, and a police helicopter and several cruisers were called to Ness Ziona
Ness Ziona
Ness Ziona is a city in central Israel founded in 1883. At the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 38,100, and its jurisdiction was 15,579 dunams.-Nahalat Reuben:...
after a citizen reported seeing a man similar to Sela.
In 2010, Sela exposed himself to a female guard during his daily walk in the prison yard, and was placed in solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
.
In May 2011, Sela's mother Rivka attempted to smuggle him porn
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
. During a hearing at the Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately...
Magistrate's Court, Rivka Sela was granted permission by the judge to give Benny a file she said contained court documents. However, prison guards closely scrutinized the file, and noticed a cardboard filler to which aluminum foil was taped. Upon unwrapping the foil, they discovered CDs, which when played, were found to contain pornographic material.
While imprisoned, Sela filed dozens of court motions every year, most of which focused on inconsequential issues and were rejected. Due to his persistent motions, became known as a "serial appelant". The repeated motions put a burden on the authorities, as the Israel Prison Service
Israel Prison Service
The Israel Prison Service , commonly known in Israel by its acronym Shabas , is the prison service of Israel. It is responsible for maintaining civilian prisons in Israel, as well as detention centers for security prisoners. It is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Security...
was tasked with bringing him to each hearing and returning him to prison, a process that necessitated the presence of police and massive security due to Sela being considered a high escape risk. On 14 August 2011, the Beersheba
Beersheba
Beersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300....
District Court limited Sela to eight motions per year and imposed a NIS 70 fine on him for every motion rejected. Judge Shlomo Friedlander said that the decision was to prevent authorites from spending an unequal share of their resources on his appeals, which could deny other prisoners their rights.
External links
- Fugitive serial rapist caught - YnetYnetYnet is the most popular Israeli news and general content website. It is owned by the same conglomerate that operates Yediot Ahronot, the country's secondleading daily newspaper...
- Serial rapist escapes from court - YnetYnetYnet is the most popular Israeli news and general content website. It is owned by the same conglomerate that operates Yediot Ahronot, the country's secondleading daily newspaper...
- Massive hunt for Israeli rapist - BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...